This alstromeria or peruvian lily is one vigorous plant in my garden. It does give you pause when you planted a few rooted but shabby looking, scrawny plants last year and this year the clump is about 5 feet tall and almost as wide. They are beautiful but hid my peonies and so they will need to find a new spot. I read that any good garden spends about a third of its life in a wheelbarrow, and I must say that rearranging is what it’s all about. You can’t really know in advance how something will do, can you?

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday Shadow Shot Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Ruby Tuesday for more photo fabulousness. Browse around here first, why don’t you? Clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner will always bring you to the latest post here.

This rose is called ‘Blue Girl’ and is sort of lavender but looks pinkish in this light, don’t you think? My roses are finally blooming, after such a long wait. I thought I lost several in the hard winter we had, but now it seems all but one survived, which out of 19 isn’t too bad. I added lots of compost in the fall and spring, and they LOVE it, with blooms much larger than last year.

I love the lighting on this shot and am calling it my Best Post of the Week.

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We visited Astoria, Oregon a couple of years ago, on my birthday. Browing through old photos, I saw this view of the Astoria Bridge over the Columbia River, actually one of the most dangerous stretches of water anywhere, but so lovely on a clear spring day.

Enjoy more skies at Skywatch Friday.  Blue Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Scenic Sunday, and Watery Wednesday are also fun. Don’t forget, you can always see the entire blog  by clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner on top. Thanks so much for visiting!

Lupines don’t last all that long, although if you deadhead them (remove the spent flowers) they can rebloom a bit. This amazing patch of them is in a neighbor’s yard. The other afternoon when it was sunny late in the day, I knew the light would be perfect for taking photos of them, so I hustled up the hill and there they were, in their glory. That was just a week or so ago, and this perfect peak has passed now. But the photo lives on!

As you’ve probably noticed, this photo is similar to the lupine header photo. It’s hard finding header photos that work in a very skinny slice! I thought you wouldn’t mind seeing a more rectangular composition of the same scene.

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The huge poppies are blooming. These unusual ones, the size of my hand, were discovered in a neighbor’s garden on a recent walk. Aren’t they something? The photo doesn’t really do justice to the red color, either. That tomato red, and the dark, dark center just do it for me. Flower thrills.

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Took a walk this afternoon and was lucky enough to happen past this pretty scene in the brief bit of sunshine, before the cloud cover took over. Isn’t backlighting the greatest? I just love the way it looks in a garden. I like it so much I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

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From my backyard, the other day. I already pulled up the forget-me-nots since then. They fill in so well, looking great when not much else is blooming, but then a certain point is passed, and out they go. No problem with new plants volunteering for next year, of course, perhaps even too vigorously reseeding, but when you have a big place to fill up, these do a fine job. And the dutch irises seem to be quite easy, as well, returning now for the third time and more than I planted. Gardening is so fun when it works out well.

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Sunshine today, sunshine this weekend, yay and yay! Went out and snapped a million (well, a few) photos in the late afternoon light, of course my fave, considering I am not a morning person by any means. The lupines did remarkably well this winter. I think it was so cold this spring that the slugs stayed sleeping and let them get going unmolested. I planted these from seed maybe three years ago and look at them!

Visit Pink Saturday, Scenic Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Outdoor Wednesday for fabulous photo fun. Click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner to see the complete blog  here, if you have a minute.

Wouldn’t you like to pick up your mail by walking on this driveway every day? I surely do love sunny days and the shadows that result. The pink shrub at the entrance is a real scene-stealer. This sentinel is pieris or andromeda, very popular here in the Pacific Northwest. I read that our soils are acidic and that’s why plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas (and pieris) tend to do so well. Who knew?

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday and Pink Saturday on this long weekend. Also try Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) if you have a minute. Remember, if there is only one photo below, click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above to see the rest of the collection.

This photo makes me want to keep looking at it, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

Red rhodedendrons are pretty hard to photograph. The sunshine seems to really help me, even though it’s against most photographic advice. I expose for/focus on the bright areas and love how the background falls into shadow. Very mysterious, no?

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ruby red photos and Today’s Flowers on Sunday. Color Carnival has bright colors, Macro Monday, more close ups, Shadow Shot Sunday, well, you figure it out. Do click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to see the entire blog if there’s only one image below. Thanks for visiting!